Infrastructure Service Architecture for Applications

1. A computer-implemented method for operating local version-independent service program code for infrastructure services, the method being at least one of automatically and optionally linked to a central remote service infrastructure, and at least one of including and automatically supporting both an online and offline processing mode, the method being embedded in a generic runtime environment and comprising: using service program code, implemented in the runtime environment, for calling by way of an application program code with standardized interfaces, the service program code being usable for provision of functionalities for services useable by the application program code, the service program code being configured for the infrastructure services, and the service program code including floating license services, the floating license services being license management for managing the validity and number of licenses appropriate to the application container.

2. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the service program code implements the functionality of the services within an application container.

3. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the service program code is intended for access to functionalities of the services implemented externally to the application container via call interfaces.

4. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the application container is designed with runtime environment, application program code and service program code as at least one of a single and separately executable file.

5. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the service program code is integrated in the runtime environment in the same way for each predetermined service of the contained services.

6. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the services involves at least one of the communication of different application program codes in application containers and the communication of different application program codes in modules of application program code within an application container.

7. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the services is the security management of application program code.

8. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the security management includes the authentication of users of the application container.

9. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the security management includes the authorization of access rights to functionalities of at least one of the application container and data provided for specific users via the application container.

10. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the security management includes the recording of actions performed or initiated by users within the application container.

11. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein one of the services includes the configuration management of at least one of the application program code and the application container for at least one of defining and modifying a configuration thereof.

12. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the configuration management includes online/offline management for enabling one and the same application container to be executable both in an operating mode with a network connection and in an operating mode without a network connection.

13. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the online/offline management includes at least one of network connection management for determining the status of a network connection, queue management for the persistent management of a queue irrespective of the network status, and cache management for managing a buffer cache for the temporary storage of application container data.

14. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the license management is for use in combination with a central license server that can be accessed over a network.

15. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the services is error management for handling errors occurring in the application container.

16. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the services is tracing for at least one of determining and recording the progress of program code execution.

17. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the services is usage recording for determining the usage of components of the architecture.

18. A computer-implemented method for operating local version-independent infrastructure services with automatic linking to central and remote service infrastructure, and including and automatically supporting both an online and offline processing mode within a generic runtime environment, the service infrastructure including service program code for floating license services and comprising: using service program code, implemented in the runtime environment, for calling by way of an application program code with standardized interfaces, the service program code being usable for provision of functionalities for services useable by the application program code, the service program code being configured for the infrastructure services, and the service program code including floating license services, the floating license services being license management for managing the validity and number of licenses appropriate to the application container.

19. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the local infrastructure service is configurable and is accessible from a central directory within a running executable for a component which uses at least one of the method and a mechanism, without the component being dependent on the executable itself.

20. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein a local infrastructure service permits the versioning of components that use it as a service.

21. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein a local infrastructure service permits an online and offline mode of the components that use it as a service.

22. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the local infrastructure service is cooperateable with a central client/server infrastructure service in online mode.

23. The computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the local infrastructure service is applicable to the services in a generic container.